SAT Composite Score -- How Big A Boost?

Parent Cafe
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<p>Okay, this post is inspired by another thread in which Alexandre is squabbling with others as to whether, as an undergraduate school, U of Michigan is prestigious or really, really prestigious -- or something. Inevitably, UM's 25/75 percentile SAT I scores were compared (unfavorably) to some Ivies. A couple of people made the fair point that reported SAT scores for UM would be the highest score at a single sitting, while for the Ivies and like private schools the reported score would be the best composite score -- the highest score from each component, regardless of sitting. Someone suggested this could represent a 50-100 point difference (which seems high); someone else fixed on 40 points. So, perhaps CC can develop some data.</p>

<p>My D took the SAT I twice, the new test each time. Considering just the CR/M scores, the boost from a composite approach was 10 points; considering CR/M/WR, the boost was 60 points. (Her best M and WR scores were on one test; best CR on the other; but the difference between the M scores was only 10 points.) </p>

<p>So, if you'd like to play along at home (or work), a short form report would be:</p>

<p>CR/M: +10 points
CR/M/WR: +60 points</p>

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<p>S only took new: boost = 110 points</p>

<p>btw: the single sitting score also depresses the reported scores of all Univ of Calif matriculants.</p>

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<p>Bluebayou: I'm in the dark..... Are the U of C's only allowing one sitting? Or am I misinterpeting? Are there new rules? What's the deal?</p>

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<p>Son took new SATs twice, best scores were all in the second sitting, so</p>

<p>CR/M: + 0 points
CR/M/WR: + 0 points</p>

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<p>roske If scores were best in second sitting for all areas, shouldn't you have some numbers to post?</p>

<p>CR/M + X (New SAT CR/M numbers - Old SAT CR/M numbers = X)</p>

<p>CR/M/WR + Y (New SAT CR/M/WR numbers - Old SAT CR/M/WR numbers = Y)</p>

<p>Or am I misunderstanding how to play the game.</p>

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<p>Jlauer, I think you are right.</p>

<p>CR/M= 0 (Same score on both CR and math the 2 times I took it)
CR/M/W = -10 (Scored 10 lower on writing on retake)</p>

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<p>UCs allow you to take the SAT as many times as you like. But for admissions purposes they consider the SAT score from your highest single sitting, not from a composite, mix-and-match of your best score for each section drawn from multiple sittings.</p>

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<p>jlauer95: Roshke's S has no boost to report. The highest scores on the three components all came in his S's second test, so he gets no boost from the fact that most private schools use a composite score. The SAT score reported for Roshke's S would be the same at UC or UM as at the Ivies or all similar private schools: they would be the scores on his second sitting test. </p>

<p>Same thing for chocolatelover88: Overall best score comes from first sitting: same CR and M scores each time; WR score higher on first sitting; so no advantage from combining components from different sittings. There is no "negative boost."</p>

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<p>I must be slow.... I thought the thread wanted to know how much a student was able to "boost" (increase) his/her scores in a second sitting. So, I thought if a student did better in his second sitting, then he would have a boost to report. </p>

<p>Are you looking for a decrease in scores in the second sitting? (I'm really not hung over or anything :) )</p>

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<p>courer: oh..... The UC's are not the only ones who do that.</p>

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<p>I get it now. Sorry about that. So I have 0 for both.</p>

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<p>Do pre-new SAT scores count?</p>

<p>If so, for both my kids--</p>

<p>M/V + 0 </p>

<p>(one took it once; the other raised both sides on the second attempt.)</p>

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<p>My S took the ACT twice (sent both scores to some schools, others only received the highest). I recalculated his score to include the best from both and he came out with a 35 vs a 33 (high for a single sitting). So at a private his score would go into the reported pool as a 35, and at most state schools his score would go in as a 33. I believe that is what WesDad is talking about.</p>

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<p>Wesdad,</p>

<p>There is yet another way to look at it. UMich has about 6000 students in their incoming class. Their 75% score is a 30 ACT whichis roughly a 1330. That means that there are 1500 students in the in-coming class with scores above 1330 . . . which is roughly the size of the freshman class at Harvard.</p>

<p>Stated another way, UMich has as many incoming students above a certain SAT level as most of the Ivy league schools.</p>

<p>At the end of the day the presitgious discussions bore me. Every school has a number of bright students attending. The more important question is about fit, geographically, size, programs, distance from home, etc.</p>

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<p>I took the old version once and the new version once, highest M/V scores were both in the same sitting...so</p>

<p>M/V: +0</p>

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<p>Eagle79 -- Yeah, that point about UM was made in the other thread. This thread really isn't about the prestige battles; it's just that the UM discussion is what prompted the thought about how much difference it makes that most private schools use the composite approach.</p>

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<p>Hmmm...this is a bit surprising to me. I thought there would be more of a boost. Back to the OP question, contrasting the difference between the best single sitting and the best composite. My son would have:</p>

<p>CR + M: 0 points
CR + M + W: 10 points</p>

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<p>My son's highest score on the old SAT was from the fall of senior year, so there was no boost from separate sittings.</p>

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<p>WesDad, If you really wanted to you could also check out some of the current and past chances threads where the kids or parents post those kinds of stats to get even more of a database on this. From looking at those, I always felt my S was in the minority in that he gained no advantage from the composite scoring system.</p>

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<p>Wesdad,</p>

<p>Understood, from what I have heard the M+V improvement of taking the best scores is around 60-80 points. Though I can not find the reference right now.</p>

<p>Another thing to look at whether schools use single sitting ACT scores or composite of the best scores. In the ACT case most schools use only one sitting but there are exceptions.</p>